Fruit-pitting machine.



No. 663,206.4 Patented nec. 4, |900.

o.rm.,woLFF. FRUIT PITTING MACHINE.

(Application led June 1l, 1 900.)

2 Sheetaz--Sheet l.

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, A es '"3 Patented nen; 4, 1900.-

' 01M. WoLFF.

FRUIT FITTING MACHINE.

(Applietinn m'ea June 1 1 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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NITnD STATES ATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR WOLFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRUIT-FITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming* part Of Letters Patent N0. 663,20'6, datedDecember 4, 1900.

Application filed June 11, 1900. Serial No. 19,820. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OSCAR M. WOLFF, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinFitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for removing the pits or stones fromfruit, and particularly to removing same from olives preparatory tofilling the olives with some other edible material. Its main objects areto provide improved mechanism for this purpose suitable for arapid feedof the fruit, to avoid injury to the machine or stoppage when pits ofunusual size or shape fail to readily pass through the aperture providedfor discharging same, to provide for readily discharging the fruit fromthe machine, and to provide for handling different lots of fruit ofdifferent sizes.

The particular objects of the different parts with which I put myinvention vinto practice will be understood from the followingdescription with reference to the accompanying drawings, in' Which--Figure l is a front elevation of a machine constructed according to myinvention, omit- Vting the driving-wheeland crank shown at the front ofFig. 4. Fig. 2 is a .top plan 'of' Fig. 3 is a ihe structure shown inFig. 1. horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing thegearing for operating the rot-ary platform. Fig. 4 is a section on theline 4 4 of Fig. 1 and including the driving-wheel which is omitted fromsaid Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig.,1.Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is avertical section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 isa vertical sectionof the rotary platform on the line 8 8 of Fig. 2.

In the machine shown the supporting-frame consists of the uprights 1,the upper plate 2, and the base 9. The rotary .platform lO is journaledin the `plate 2. Said platform is provided with a series of pockets 11for receiving the fruit. The gear-wheel 12 is rigid with the platform onthe shaft i3. The Wheel 14 is provided with a pin 15 for acting againstthe teeth of the gear-wheel12. Said wheel 14 is reduced at its lowerpart 16 ad- 'the connecting-rod 33.

Vjoining the pin. The wheel 14is rigid on the shaft 17, which isjournaled in the bearingblock 18, secured to the plate 2, and also inthe bearing-block 19, secured to the base 9. 'lhe bevel-gear 2O is rigidon said shaft 17. The bevel-gear 21 is rigid on the shaft 22 and meshesWith the bevel-gear 20. The shaft 22 is journaled in the bearing-blocks23 and 24, which are secured t-o the base 9. The gearwheel 25 is rigidon the shaft 22 and meshes with the gearwheel 26, which is rigid on theshaft 27. The shaft 27 is journaled in the bearing-blocks 28, 29, and30. Said shaft is provided with a crank 31, pivotally connected to theplunger 32 through The plunger 32 is longitudinally slidable in thesleeve 34, sesecured to the plate 2. The wheel 35 is rigid on the shaft27 Said wheel is provided with a crank-pin 36, to which theconnecting-rod 37 is pivoted. The upper end of the rod 37 is pivoted tothe crank-arm 38. Said crankarm is journaled in the upright 39, which isrigidly secured to the plate 2. The sleeve 40 is connected to thecrank-arm 88 by means of the pivoted link 41. The plunger 42 is carriedby said sleeve 40. Said plunger is vertically slidable within saidsleeve and is secured thereto by means of the spring 43. Said spring issecured at its upperend to the sleeve 40 and at its lower end to theshoulder 44 on said plunger. The sleeve 40 is vertically slidable in theprojection 45 on the upright 39. The fork 46 is rigidly secured to theupright 39.

The trough 47 is secured to the plate 2 below the rotary platform 10 andimmediately under the plunger 42. The trough 48 is secured upon theplate 2 at theside ofthe platform 10 near the plunger 32. Said trough 48is provided with the extended side pieces 49, which pass above theplatform 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The annular ange 50 is secured upon the platform 10 inward of thepockets 1l. Said pockets are formed in the bushings 51, which arethreaded into suitable apertures in the platform 10. Said bushings areeach provided with a contracted aperture 52, passing through the bushingfrom the bottom of said pocket. '[he mouth of each pocket is widenedtoward the top, as shown in Fig. 8. A rim IOO l ings are provided withsockets 54, adapted for receiving a key for screwing the bushing into orout of its seat. In practice I prefer to make said bushings and platformof copper,

while the rim 53 is made of hardened steel. The purpose of making saidrim of hardened steel is to avoid wear at this part of the socketthrough the action of the plunger.l

The drive-wheel 55 is rigid on the shaft 22.

Said Wheel is provided with a crank-handle 56 for turning same, and thusdriving the machine by hand. The machine may also be driven by a beltconnecting the Wheel 55 with suitable power.

Figs. 2 and 8 show some of the pockets containing olives, (representedby the referencenumber 57.)

The operation of the device shown is as follows: The operator Willinsert the fruit in the pockets at the front of the machine. A singlerevolution of the wheel 55 will cause the plunger 42 to descend and theplunger 32 to ascend, while the platform lO is at rest.

Immediately after the withdrawal of saidplungers from the platform andduring the return stroke of said plungers the platform will be turnedsufficiently to bring diiferent pockets in line with said plungers, Thuswith two revolutions of the wheel 55 a pocket will be advanced fromtheplunger 42 to the plunger 32, as may be seen by reference to Figs. l and2. The shaft 22 through the bevel-gears 2l and 20 will turn the shaft17, which through the gearing described will intermittent-ly rotate theplatform l0. The shaft 27 will be driven through the gear-wheels 25 and26 and will operate the plungers 32 and 42 through the connectionsbefore described. The plunger 42 will perforate the fruit and force itspit through the aperture 52, said pit falling into the trough 47. Theplunger 32 will throw the fruit out of the pocket and into the trough48. The object of the flange 46 and the side pieces 49 on the trough isto assist in guiding the fruit'into the trough 48. If the fruit shouldadhere to the plunger 42 on its upward stroke, the Vsame will be removedby means of the fork 46 and will drop back into the pocket. If one ofthe pits should be of unusual size or shapeand should fail to passthrough the aperture 52, the plunger 42 will yield by sliding upwardlyin the sleeve 40 against the action of the spring 43.

Such pit will be afterward thrown outv by means of the plunger 32.Bushings with larger pockets may be substituted for handling largerfruit.

It will be understood that numerous details of my device may be alteredwithout departing from the spirit ofmyinvention. I therefore do notconfine myself to such details except as hereinafter limited in theclaims.

IlVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination of a supporting-frame; a traveling platform havingpockets for re- -ceiving the fruit; said pockets having each acontracted aperture in its bottom; a reciprocating plunger adapted todrive the pit through the fruit and the bottom of its pocket; means forcoacting with the plunger for removing the fruit from the plunger, and

mechanism whereby the plunger is reciprocated and the platform given amotion which is arrested during the interval between the expulsion ofthe pit and the removal of the fruit from the plunger, whereby the fruitis returned to its pocket; and means for discharging the fruit from vthepocket after the pocket has been advanced from under the plunger.

r2. In a fruit-pitting machine, the combination of a supporting-frame; arotary horizontally-disposed platform journaled in said frame and havingpockets conoentrically arranged around its axis, for receiving thefruit; said pockets each having a widened mouth at the top and acontracted aperture through the bottom of the platform; avertically-reciprocating plunger acting downwardly into one of saidpockets at a xed part of the frame and adapted to out through the fruitand drive the pit through the aperture; means for intermittently7rotating the platform so as to advance the next pocket to the plungerafter the withdrawal of said plunger from the preceding pocket; and avertically-reciprocating plunger acting upwardly into the aperture ofone of said pockets advanced from the downwardly-acting plunger; andmeans for operating said plunger; substantially as described. y y

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 8th day of June, 1900. I

OSCAR M. WOLFF. Witnesses:

WM. R. RUMMLER, GLEN C. STEPHENS.

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